Healthy Hummus Recipe Ideas
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Who doesn’t love hummus? Hummus, along with the pita bread is like a match made in heaven for us. We love it to the extent that we might just popularise the thought, “I’ll be your pita if you’ll be my hummus”. Might sound hilarious to you, but there are a whole lot of emotional foodies out there who’d agree with our emotional connect and longing for hummus.
Hummus is a delicacy originally from the Middle East side of the world. It’s originally made of ground chickpeas, tahini (sesame seeds), lemon juice, olive oil, and some salt. However, we can find many people across the world tweak this delicacy down according to their personal preferences of taste. Not just that, we have the top food brands selling the readymade version of hummus in tins and cans! But we’d ask you to refrain to buy them because they shout only preservatives and chemicals. The store-bought hummuses definitely have a hell lot of preservatives and your not-so-desirable ingredients too.
We want to encourage all you hummus lovers to make hummus at home. It’s fresh, it will taste exactly like how you want it to be, and homemade hummus can last up to a week if stored the right way in the refrigerator. We did some culinary research and experiments and got you some healthy hummus recipes for you try to out at the comfort of your home.
1. Avocado Hummus
This one can be considered as a cross between guacamole (an avocado dip made by the Mexicans) and the traditional hummus. This avocado hummus calls for some mashed avocado, ground chickpeas, tahini, and a splash of lime juice. To give this an aromatic kick, add some minced garlic. And to lend in a smooth finish, add some extra virgin olive oil and you’re done. While chickpeas contain vital proteins and nutrients that are required by our body, the avocados are considered to have more potassium than the bananas. The avocados also have cancer-fighting properties and are heart-friendly (1). Both these super foods when paired together make for a killer healthy food.
We can use this as a dip for our pita bread or nachos. We can also spread it on bread and have it like a toast.
2. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
This version of hummus continues to stay true to its Mediterranean roots. It can be regarded as a very rustic version of the hummus. And it makes for a perfect entrée for a dinner party.
For this, you will have to cut thin slices of red pepper and lay them out on an oven tray. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on it and bake it till it’s nicely roasted. Another way of roasting the bell peppers is to directly roast them on a stove top.
Take a food processor or a grinder and add all the roasted peppers and the rest of the usual hummus ingredients to it. We recommend adding some jalapenos too to this for that extra punch and it’s done!
3. Pumpkin Hummus
The fun part of this hummus is the way you serve it in a pumpkin bowl. All you have to do is cut the top part of the pumpkin to make it like a bowl and scoop its flesh out in an oven tray. Add garlic and a good dollop of oil and bake it for 45 minutes. Add the contents of the oven tray into a food processor along with chickpeas, tahini, and some salt. Serve the ground mixture inside the pumpkin shell. You can sprinkle some paprika over to make it look much more presentable.
The pumpkin is said to be a rich source of vitamin A which is also known to boost immunity. It helps reduce the risks of various chronic diseases and is also very low in terms of calorie intake (2). Dip your veggies or bread in it and enjoy.
4. Cilantro Hummus
All you ‘ciltantrophobes’ out there, we’re sorry! But we just cannot not mention this amazing version of the Mediterranean bean dip. Cilantro is such a fresh herb and it almost is right next to the goodness level of that of basil leaves. Cilantro, when added to hummus really strikes a freshness quotient in the otherwise very creamy and very rich hummus. You can make it in two ways, either add the cilantro leaves to the food processor along with the chickpeas and tahini to make a green looking hummus for yourself. Or you could chop cilantro finely and mix it with your usual classic hummus and enjoy.
Cilantro is basically a herb that is a relative of parsley. History has it that cilantro has been in usage for thousands of years. In fact, cilantro is known to contain chemical compounds that can help to keep food fresher for a long duration of time (3). It helps to improve skin health and also has anticancer properties.
These were our most healthy versions of hummus. Food with twists has become a very fond indulgence for food lovers worldwide. Have you tried making hummus with a twist before? Let us know in the comments below.
